Rockland & Rockport Auto Repair

In many parts of the US and Canada, it is common to have two sets of wheels and tires to tackle seasonal differences in driving conditions. You know what to do with them while they are on your car, but what is the proper way to store the ones you put up for the season? Here are some tips to ensure your seasonal tires are ready to go when it is time to swap them out. Clean Your Wheels - Contaminants and road grime can degrade the finish on your wheels while they are in storage. Before you put them away, clean your wheels with some mild detergent. Rinse them off and make sure they are completely dry before you put them away for the season.   Clean and Treat Your Tires - Tires are made of natural and synthetic rubbers and can dry out while in storage, causing dry rot and cracking which will have you looking for new tires too soon. Before putting them away, clean your tires with a liquid or foaming tire cleaner and wipe off any residue. Then apply ... read more

Buying a used car can be a great experience or a complete nightmare, depending on what you know when you sign on the bottom line or hand over your hard-earned cash to the seller.  While most used car establishments are reputable, there are still some that will be happy to sell you a little less car than you bargain for.  As a matter of fact, some dealers and individual sellers simply don't know the history or the problems with a car when they offer it to you. Check these ten important things before you agree to buy a used car. The Oil Dipstick - You can tell a lot about an engine and a car owner from the dipstick. Pull it out, wipe it off and put it back, then carefully pull it again. Note the oil level. If it is overfull there may be gas in the oil which is a bad sign. Low, but not below the bottom line on the stick is actually OK. Lower than that is a problem. White foam on the dipstick is a sign of water or coolant in the oil. Run away. Now here is t ... read more

The cornering and rolling forces on each of your tires are different.  If you have a front wheel drive car, the power and most of the force is transmitted to the front tires while the rear tires pretty much just follow along like fixed wagon wheels.  A rear-wheel drive car or truck sends power to the back while steering forces are handled by the front wheels.  All-wheel drive and 4wd have their unique power, steering and cornering characteristics as well.  The point is, your front left tire is going to wear differently than your right rear tire, or for that matter, any of the other tires vary at each corner of the vehicle because of the force and friction. The solution to this problem is tire rotation.  Tire rotation involves removing your wheels and tires from the car and putting them in a different position on the car.  Many times, your tire service center will take the time to re-balance the wheels and tires while they have them off the car anyway.&nb ... read more

The automotive aftermarket offers thousands of cool gadgets and gizmos to make your summer driving experience safer, more comfortable and way more entertaining. Here are the top ten coolest of the cool gadgets for 2017: Dash-cam - It seems like there are cameras everywhere today, and there is no better place to put one than on your dash. If something exciting or dangerous happens while you are driving, the dash cam will catch all the action. You can use this as evidence in case of a crash, traffic stop or a crime, or simply catch an unexpected bit of crazy video and become a social media sensation. Dash cam kits are generally easy to install, with suction cups that simply mount on the windshield and a USB or 12v power port plug for power.   Electronic Parking Guide - Wire up the Precision Parking Park-Zone system and get audible warnings before you hit an obstacle or another car. Great for parallel parking on jammed up streets.   ... read more

With all the tires you encounter every day, it is easy to forget their humble beginning and just how far they have come since the early days of automotive development. Follow along as we recap the incredible evolution that has taken us from simple rubber rings to the products we see today. The tire had rather humble beginnings. In the late 1800's the invention of the automobile necessitated something for them to roll on. Until then, wheels were rolling around on hard wooden rims or metal bands. In 1888 Carl Benz, one of the famous fathers of Mercedes Benz, invented a new type of tire to match his new type of conveyance, the automobile. It was a metal framed tire, covered with rubber and filled with air. This was the birth of the pneumatic or air filled tire and it revolutionized the world. Carl Benz' tire had air but it didn't have any tread. It wasn't until 1905 that tread was added to the tire's surface to help it handle the wet, muddy road surfaces Old car tire ... read more